Platform work sees escalators closing

Work to extend three platforms at Edinburgh’s Waverley Station means escalators at platform 11 will be closed from Saturday, September 2 until the new year.

Engineers are currently working in Scotland’s second busiest station to extend platforms 5 and 6, to the east of the station, and 12, to the west.

An artist's impression of the extended platform 12

The project will prepare Waverley for the arrival of Virgin East Coast’s new Azuma trains and ScotRail’s new class-385s.

Work will soon begin to extend platform 12 further into the station and remove redundant buildings on platform 11.

To enable this to take place, the escalators on platform 11 will close to the public on Saturday, September 2, and reopen in early 2018 when the extended platform 12 comes into service.

Network Rail says closing the escalators is the safest way to deliver the works as the need to erect hoardings around the platform extension site will reduce space at the foot of the escalators creating the potential for overcrowding.

Additional station staff will be on-hand when the escalators close to help passengers.

Rodger Querns, Network Rail programme director, said: “Extending Edinburgh Waverley’s platforms is vital to the long-term future of the station and paves the way for the introduction of two new state-of-the-art train fleets.

“Completing such a significant piece of engineering work in one of the country’s busiest stations is a challenge and one which will mean some short-term disruption to the platform 11 escalator.

“We are committed to carrying out these enhancements as quickly as possible and with the minimum of inconvenience for passengers.”

The work is part of the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) and the Department for Transport-funded Intercity Express Programme (IEP).

It will increase passenger capacity and reduce journey times – by around 10 minutes between Edinburgh and Glasgow and 20 minutes between the two capitals.